Pioneering is something they can do at Bosch Growers. Six years ago, the family business started growing blackberries under glass in addition to their bell pepper crop. And now, it's time for a new challenge. Last week, they bought one of the three greenhouses of the American nursery AppHarvest. It's a more than 12-acre facility in Somerset, Kentucky. "It's a huge opportunity, and we're looking forward tremendously to getting started here," says Wouter van den Bosch, who together with his brother Tijmen will run the Bosch Berries Kentucky company.
American expansion
For some time now, the Dutch nursery Bosch Growers team has been actively working on expansion plans in the U.S., says Wouter. "We are working on the permits for a location on the East Coast, but those are long-term processes. This came along and is a great opportunity for us to get a foothold in the U.S. all at once."
Intensive cultivation
Bosch Growers is run by father Jaco in addition to Wouter and Tijmen. The family business can build on 90 years of cultivation experience and is also familiar with setting up new crops, as evidenced by the successful cultivation of blackberries under glass. "In blackberries, we already see that we can apply the knowledge from the intensive cultivation of peppers. We expect to be able to do the same with strawberries. In particular, we see a lot of opportunities in the application of everbearers. It is a long cultivation, and that makes it complex: any mistakes will haunt you until the end of the season. We know that from vegetables, and we want to apply it in the U.S. as well."
Besides the technical possibilities, they also see that the U.S. market offers many opportunities. "There is a lot of demand for strawberries, but most of the supply now comes from open cultivation. Moreover, that product is transported by truck. That's not a strong story from a sustainability perspective, either. Greenhouse horticulture is a good answer to this, but it is a profession: no plug-and-play. We bring our own knowledge and experience and can rely on the various partners we work with in the Netherlands. That gives us confidence that we can make it a success."
AppHarvest
The acquired facility was owned by AppHarvest, an American nursery that went into receivership due to financial problems, after which the company's three greenhouses were auctioned off. Two tomato greenhouses were acquired by U.S. investor Equilibrium, so the third came into Dutch hands. "Because we have been working on expansion plans in the U.S. for some time, we have become well acquainted with the American market. That has certainly helped us," Wouter explains. "We were ready and knew what our options were."
And that greenhouse looks hearty too. "Of course, you would do things differently if you built it yourself, but it's a nice greenhouse built by Dutch suppliers." The greenhouse is equipped with HPS and LED lighting and is suitable for year-round production. The nursery is currently still in production, and that too offers advantages for the new owners. "For example, there is already an organization ready for labor that we can use. We don't have to start from 0."
For more information:
Bosch Growers
https://boschgrowers.com/